Engage 2022 | CMB’s Race Around the World

This year, CMB had the privilege of participating in Marketing Research Education Foundation’s (MREF) second annual Race Around the World. Throughout the month of May, professionals across the market research industry banded (biked, ran, walked) together to raise funds and support relief efforts in Ukraine. Through the MREF’s partnership with Baal Dan Charities, the right partners on the ground were identified to address the complex issues facing Ukrainian refugee children, especially those displaced from orphanages and children with special needs.

Giving back to the CMB community is integral to our culture, and this year’s Race Around the World was extra-special to CMB since one of our colleagues is Ukrainian. Our newly appointed Health & Wellness Committee felt compelled to pick up the pace and encouraged our community to sign up, log their miles daily, and donate. To bolster fundraising efforts, CMB hosted a variety of events:

• Quad Goals: It was encouraging to see teammates’ miles go up-and-up, spurring some healthy competition amongst the group. But to engage with those who don’t regularly bike to the office or train for marathons, CMB created a “movement calendar” to encourage daily walks and serve as a movement reminder to increase mileage and support every CMBer’s mental health. In addition, the Health & Wellness Committee organized a group walk during our “Welcome Back Week*.” This scenic walk took participants through the Boston Common, introduced some of our remote employees to historic areas in Boston, and gave our colleagues another opportunity to connect with one another.
• Raise the Roof: As part of our fundraising efforts, we also hosted an online auction featuring the creative submissions donated by our teammates, such as homemade cookies, painted book edges, hand crafted jewelry, and much more. The auction was a wild success and raised over $1,100 through this effort alone, thanks to some intense (but friendly) bidding wars.
• Words With Friends: CMBers could also participate in a virtual board game tournament via Words With Friends. Participants each donated an entry fee to play, which was included in our total MREF donation.
• CMB’s Foundation for Charitable Giving: In addition to CMBers’ individual contributions, our Foundation for Charitable Giving agreed to match Team CMB’s donations dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000. CMB’s Foundation for Charitable Giving program is in partnership with its parent company, ITA Group. Every year, CMB contributes to organizations making a difference in the communities in which CMB lives and works.

Never underestimate the power of community! Together, we can make an impact. Through this year’s Race Around the World fundraising efforts, we engaged with each other and our community to support relief efforts in the Ukraine. I am proud to announce that we raised a total of $6,746 ($3,373 by CMBers’ and $3,373 from our Foundation for Charitable Giving) and ended in 7^th place with a total of 4,977.68 miles! AND our teammate Remy Morrison landed in 6^th overall, of 1,324 participants, with a total of 1,009.158 miles. Go Remy!

Other members who contributed to this year’s success included: Heather Magaw, Michelle Reape, Jessica McClelland Chavez, Blair Bailey, and Colleen Ryan.

*CMB’s Welcome Back Week was a week-long event in late May to mark the reopening of our Boston office, review vital company updates to its employee owners, and engage with our remote, new, and tenured employees. This week was just a part of CMB’s Future of Work initiative to adapt to the evolving needs of next-gen workplace standards, including offering a safe environment to our employees and greater flexibility than ever before.